


The Suthay Chronicles Chapter 8: Before the Storm

by Vicsvinny



Series: The Suthay Chronicles [10]
Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Argonians (Elder Scrolls), Cyrodiil (Elder Scrolls), Dunmer (Elder Scrolls), Gen, Khajiit (Elder Scrolls)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:40:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25813702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vicsvinny/pseuds/Vicsvinny
Summary: Some actions have consequences. Others, are merely a means to an end.
Series: The Suthay Chronicles [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1817335





	The Suthay Chronicles Chapter 8: Before the Storm

**_There was an unnatural chill in the air_ **

It made Taz’s fur stand on end.

Slowly she opened her eyes to perpetual darkness. Not a single solitary shape could be made out in the void. She couldn’t even make out her hand, which she held directly before her eyes.  
She patted the surface she sat on, which felt like the bed she had fallen asleep in, however reaching and throwing her arms around yielded no walls, nor the coat rack next to the bed which her gear was propped up on.  
Petrified, she slowly sunk down beneath the blankets, darting her eyes around the darkness to catch some glimmer of light. Any inkling of hope.  
Did she die in her sleep? Is this what death was? Nothing but eternal darkness? What about all that religious talk of Aetherius? Was it because she didn't pray 3 times a day that she was sentenced to eternal damnation in this void of nothingness?  
Part of her wanted to curl up in a ball and cry her eyes out. Along with the blackness, there was only the low, barely audible droning of.. The void.  
It was mute. She felt like she had no power, no attachment to anything. Her bones felt like liquid, her teeth chittered, and her nerves shook.

However, out of the corner of her eye she caught the glimpse of shadows darting around in the black. A faint shimmer as the void gave away movement within it. Until a dread feeling befell her, as she realized that someone or something was looming over her  
She went to shriek when the figure grabbed her firmly by the throat, and with an unnatural strength; pinned her sqaurely to the bed  
She struggled and strained, however her squirming only invited the choking and gagging as the figure tightened its grip on her scrawny neck.  
She couldn’t breath nor gasp for breath. Her aggressors frigid, bony hands gradually increasing its stranglehold on her. She could feel unkempt nails digging their way into her skin.  
Then, as she peered back up at the shadow over her, a sudden glimpse of colour entered her view as she gazed upon a tattered red hood. What lay underneath the hood was covered by yet more shadow, however the head of her assailant was so close, that she could feel it’s breath as it exhaled a putrid, deathly-like moan.  
She went to scream once more, but the only noise that came from her was gagging and choking. 

She was helpless and paralyzed.

The figure then raised a pale, bony arm, then the other-worldly shimmer of a runed ebony dagger plunged downwards, sinking deep into her chest and piercing her heart  
Taz had tried to scream, once again, tried to make any sound, any cry of desperation, or hope, but it was fruitless.  
The figure ripped the dagger from her chest, pulling free her still-beating heart as it pumped scores of blood upon her body, and the hooded figure  
It then held it over her eyes as all life began to fade away, and then, her punctured heart was the only thing she could see.  
And it is then, when she found the ability to scream with whatever air was left in her lungs.  
She opened her mouth to unleash an agonizing screech.

Taz then awoke suddenly with a horrifying shriek, sitting up in bed and panting heavily as she darted her eyes around the room with fevered terror.  
Mirian glanced over in alarm as she was buckling up her boots on a nearby chair  
Haxal woke up suddenly, searching around for who had screamed  
“Taz! What happened??” Mirian asked, a concerned look upon her face  
Taz looked around, seeing light, colour and her friends, and laid back in bed, trying to catch her breath.  
She then placed a hand over her chest, feeling the supersonic beating of her heart.  
It.. Was all a dream then?  
Mirian had sat next to Taz, placing both hands on the Khajiit’s shoulders  
“You ok? Have a nightmare or something?”  
Taz looked up into the Dunmer’s eyes and nodded  
“It was awful.. I woke up and.. There were shadows all around. Then I saw a red hood, and a black dagger. Then it stabbed me and tore out my heart”  
Mirian’s eyes narrowed and a grave look overtook her concerned expression

_“A red hood and black dagger?”_

Taz nodded again

“A **RED** hood?” she emphasized again

“I think so.. Khajiit doesn’t want to remember anymore..” Taz replied with a whimpering shudder  
Mirian kept giving Taz a stern look for a few seconds, the gears in her mind turning before she relented in her concern and gave the Khajiit a warming and almost sisterly-like hug  
“It’s nothing to worry about Hun. Just your mind fucking with you because of what you saw with those cultists. Don’t let it bother you.”  
Mirian released her warm embrace, gently rubbing Taz’s shoulders to comfort the cat some more  
“Are we going soon?” Taz asked, peering up at the Dunmer  
“Almost. It’s about 5:30 in the morning. Vindalmo or whatever his name was said he wants to meet us outside, ready to travel around 6:30. One of his contacts was downstairs when I went for breakfast. I informed him of your leg injury, and.. He said that Vindalmo already knew of it”  
Taz lowered an ear in uncertainty  
“How?”  
“That same word came out of my mouth. The guy said that Vindalmo was pretty good at _‘knowing what he needed to know.”_  
“That’s not suspicious and creepy at all..” Haxal muttered as he threw on a tunic, before turning to Taz  
“You alright now?”  
Taz nodded with a deep breath  
“It was just.. Too real”  
Mirian stood back up  
“Quit thinking about it and move on. We still have a job to do”  
She then finished equipping her gear, keeping a wary eye on Taz all the while.  
Taz threw on whatever she could, namely warm, covering layers to protect herself from the cold, and carefully put on a pair of thick winter pants.  
The only downside of Human and Elven trousers is the fact that they don’t consider the rare possibility of an overgrown cat wearing them. So either she is forced to curl her tail around her torso under the clothing, which was ever so slightly uncomfortable, slip her tail out, which leaves the pants down ever so slightly in the rear, or cut a hole into the rear, which must be perfect or else it can be too revealing.  
This time around, she simply curled her tail around her torso.  
It’s not the most comfortable option, but it works. Especially in her current position.

Noting that they were all ready and prepared, Mirian led the way out into the hallway. Sticking next to Taz as she hobbled down the dark halls on her crutches  
Within a few minutes, they were outside the Inn, and to Mirian’s surprise at least, the gentle sprinkling of snowflakes was beginning to fall.  
It was also still relatively dark outside, which must’ve meant that Winter was or had arrived early.  
It was also rather devoid of life out here, all the horses which were stabled last night were gone, and no one except a passed-out drunk and the womanizing bartender, who was preoccupied with cleaning tables to notice them still lingered downstairs.  
A few moments of loitering in the falling snow passed before they were approached by a small group of armed men carrying lanterns.  
The light lit up a good percentage of the men  
These guys were bandits alright, however.. There was something that set them apart from the usual brigands.  
Every bandit had sheathed on his waist, an Elven-crafted weapon of some type. And was finely tempered as if it was taken directly from a Thalmor soldier moments prior.  
The men in the group were a mix of Imperial, Breton, Bosmer and Redguard. Then Vindalmo stepped forward.  
He was wearing a full suit of steel-plated armour, with an enclosed helmet.  
The group was taken aback somewhat by the authoritative presence the Elf gave off.  
He lifted the visor and inspected the trio before him

“Ah. This is the crippled one?” He asked, looking at Taz on her crutches  
“Yes. She was injured fighting the largest and angriest Troll I’ve ever seen. It’s a wonder she was injured so lightly” Mirian replied, wincing her eyes from the snowflakes now blowing into her face  
Vindalmo nodded, then gave a snap of his fingers  
A robed Altmer from the back of the group stepped forward towards Taz  
“Greetings Khajiit. Mind if I give you a look-over?” He asked in an almost friendly tone  
“What is this? Who are you??” Taz questioned, lifting one crutch slightly in the Altmer's direction to keep her distance.  
Vindalmo removed his helmet, letting his golden Aldmeri locks drape down onto his shoulders  
“Rumare is my resident Healer. I wish to know the exact extent of your injuries before we risk traveling on the road with you”  
Mirian gave a nod at Taz  
Taz relented and stood still as Rumare inspected her limbs, and gave subtle pats on her shoulders and waist. Every-time he did, Taz felt a little shiver run along her body, which was the subtle hint that he was using some type of restoration magic.  
He then stepped back, hand-under-chin and adjusted his glasses  
“Report?” Vindalmo asked  
“Well. The Dunmer is truthful in that the injuries are relatively minor at best. The only prohibitive injury I can see is a fractured leg bone. One of her companions should be able to carry her back to base. There we can perform complete restorative procedures”  
“Restorative procedures? You mean you can heal my leg??” Taz asked in credulity  
“Wait, you're willing to do that?” Mirian added in  
“One thing at a time. First we must make it back.” Vindalmo replied, holding up a stern hand  
He then turned to Haxal  
“You, Brawny lizard. Carry your friend. Her hobbling will only slow us down and make it easier for Thalmor to spot us”  
“My name is Haxal.. Sir..” He replied  
“I don’t care. We need to get moving.”  
Vindalmo slid his helmet back on and turned his back to address his men

Haxal sighed, then looked over at Taz, who was watching back at him, a little shrug of her shoulders and a grin gave away the impression that she was all for having him carry her.  
“Do what the Elf says, Haxal.” Mirian ordered as she hoisted up her backpack, and took the crutches from Taz  
He went to lift Taz up in his arms, when she stopped him  
“Can I sit on your shoulder?” She asked  
“What?”  
“Carry me on your shoulders. So your arms don’t get tired, and drop me”  
“Very well.”  
He knelt down so Taz could climb onto his back, then stood up as she held her arms around his neck to hold on, while he held onto wherever he could that didn't cause her pain.  
Taz gave a little cheer as she was briskly raised up into the air  
“Mirian! Now it is Taz who looks down at you!” She said in jest with a playful grin  
Mirian just shook her head with a smile  
“Hey! You three done flirting?” Vindalmo questioned with a growl  
They froze up, then nodded in unison  
“Then let us move. Sunlight will rise soon, and we must be long gone from this swill-pit.”

**\-----1 Hour later-----**

After reaching the summit of a large hill, they were overlooking a large forested valley, and at the far end, built into the side of the valley was a dilapidated fortress, which was obviously built very long ago. And was now seemingly abandoned  
“See that?” Vindalmo pointed out at the ruin, then looked back at the trio standing behind him  
“Yes!” Taz said, holding her arm out to shelter her eyes. She was still perched atop Haxal’s now aching shoulders.  
Haxal groaned. At least she was enjoying this.. He's gonna need a good massage sometime..  
“Fort Strandarus. Built during the reign of the Alessian Empire, yet somehow surviving after all these years. It is our destination”  
“I’m sure it looks better on the inside?” Mirian asked, half-jokingly  
“We do not live in luxury, however the ruin itself has provided a perfect base of operations to fight the Thalmor.”  
They began moving downhill and off the main road into the forest  
“So you guys ARE warring against the Thalmor..” Mirian said, following alongside vindalmo  
“It is not a war we fight. More of a guerilla campaign to weaken the enemy,”  
“Why would an Altmer fight the Thalmor though? Is it not.. Ironic?” 

Vindalmo snapped his gaze back to Taz, his raised visor giving away his insulted expression  
“Why would a man fight against the Empire? Why is there a whole Civil War in Skyrim? Are they not **MEN** fighting against a **HUMAN** Empire? Do not assume that based on my race that I am inclined to a certain way of thought. That is mighty racist of you **CAT** ”  
Taz hunched down her shoulders and lowered her head. He was right. Why did she say something so stupid?  
Mirian cleared her throat with a small cough  
“If I may say.. Your group doesn’t strike me as the ordinary bandit type. You surprised me, after what I saw in the Tavern last night..”  
Vindalmo took in a deep breath of frigid winter air  
“Discretion is of paramount importance if we are to succeed in our fight. I’m sure Nicolas merely informed you indifferently to not give off any incriminating hints.”  
“You know Nicolas?” She asked  
Vindalmo gave a half-hearted glance at her

_“I work for him”_

There was a moment of silence from Mirian  
“We are not bandits, rather mercenaries, freedom fighters and oppressed soldiers, all loyal to the Empire. Every man and woman in my company holds within them a grudge against the Thalmor to some extent. We fight an underground war against our Aldmeri oppressors.”  
Mirian had regained her voice after realizing just what they had gotten themselves into  
“Alright. So.. The whole ‘Rebellion’ idea that Nicolas and Seccilia talk about is.. Real?”  
Vindalmo drew the sword in its sheath to emphasis his words  
_“Real”_ He replied  
Mirian looked away, back at the ruined fortress in the distance  
Well.. She wasn’t expecting to actually get roped into a rebellion against the Thalmor today..  
And all because Taz wanted to go and kill some cultists..

After another half hour of marching, they reached the gates, or rather the collapsed gatehouse.  
There were no sentries or signs of exterior habitation, which was probably expected, seeing as how discreet these guys needed to be in the face of the ever-watchful Thalmor.  
As they entered the compound, the men set to securing the perimeter  
Vindalmo brought the trio with him to the large main door.  
He gave a rhythmic knock on it, and within a moment a series of clicks and cogs on the other side sounded, until the ancient steel door slowly swung open with a loud and rusted groaning, and a young Breton stepped out into the snowy climate  
She sheltered her face and looked over the group  
“Vindalmo! You're back and you brought friends this time!” She remarked with a smile  
“Indeed I have. Taz, Haxal and Mirian; Meet Avantia. Our resident Priestess of Kynareth, Part-time Healer and Nicolas’ Wife.”  
“My, what a title..” Haxal remarked  
Avantia gave a polite nod to them  
“Charmed. Do come in and out of the cold.”  
Everyone entered into the ruin, and the door closed abruptly behind them.

“Avantia, we do have an injury that I want you and Rumare to patch up.”  
“Certainly. Who needs fixing?”  
Vindalmo motioned towards Taz  
Avantia went over  
“Where does it hurt?” She asked, looking up at the cat on Haxal’s shoulders  
“My right leg”  
“Rumare already took a brief look. The bone is fractured” Vindalmo said, removing his helmet and handing it off to a nearby Imperial  
“Fractured? Oh we can get that fixed in no time at all. Come with me sweetie”  
She reached up to help Taz off of Haxal’s shoulders  
After getting off, Rumare and Avantia supported Taz as they went down the halls, and vanished down a sloped hallway to their left

“Now if you two would follow me, I will show you to your temporary quarters” Vindalmo said as he began making his way down the hall  
“Wha? Hang on. _TEMPORARY QUARTERS?_ We’re not staying here. We have a place back in Anvil” Mirian said as she went after him  
Haxal stayed quiet and tagged along with Mirian. He really didn't want to complicate matters by opening his big mouth.  
“No, you're staying here for a little while. You can’t just come and go as you please. And besides, I have a report pending for Nicolas, and I can’t finish it until we complete our raid tomorrow. A report you will deliver to him.”  
“So that’s what we are? Glorified messengers?” Mirian dropped her arms to her sides with a huff.  
Vindalmo gave a grunt of annoyance  
“Nicolas assured me that you and your comrades would be more than willing to help with the cause, Seeing as how your all indebted to both him and the Countess”  
Mirian couldn’t come back with an argument for that  
“This is just coming all too fast for us to work out clearly. We’ll be glad to deliver your missive for Nicolas when it’s ready” Haxal declared, placing a firm yet comforting hand on Mirian's shoulder.  
“Good. Nice to see one of you has some sense.”

After descending a long staircase, they came upon a large chamber.  
Vindalmo remarked that while his men were using up a large portion of the fortress, it was still a maze of hallways and rooms where the rebels had set up homes for themselves.  
Some hallways leading even deeper into the fortress were caved in after generations of abandonment, and some others, they had purposely caved in to keep the Imps and Skeletons of the lower wards isolated deeper in the recesses.  
The chamber they had entered was a makeshift gathering hall, a single long table was placed from one end to the other, lined with dozens of chairs.  
A few halls and rooms were linked off from the chamber, and the succulent smell of cooking filled the room, signaling that the kitchen wasn’t far away.  
Vindalmo led them down one of the side passages, where it then opened up into a sort of barracks.  
He led them through corridors of bunks, personal belongings to the rebels, and other furniture, to a door at the end.  
It was empty in here, no rebels were milling around in their bunks.  
Scrawled on the stonework next to the door was scribbled ‘Guest Room(s)’  
“You’ll stay in here for your duration.”  
He opened it up, and inside were two sleeping cots, a large chest and a lantern hung from the ceiling.  
“Make yourselves comfortable.” He said, looking back at them both  
“Excuse my fascination, but this is a large operation, Vindalmo. I’m surprised the Thalmor haven’t found out about this” Haxal remarked  
“We take great precautions to not lead the Aldmeri Agents back here. Escorting you was a great risk. Even so early in the morning”  
“How so? The Thalmor have spies in this area?” Haxal asked again.  
Vindalmo took in a deep breath of the crusty air.  
“Of course they do. They aren’t stupid. We’ve been raiding their people for months. Heck, There may have been a spy in that tavern for all we know. Which is why I faked under the guise of a common highwayman to throw off suspicion.”  
“Oh.. So I don’t owe you sexual favours?” Mirian asked somewhat timidly  
Vindalmo gave her a firm and condemning scowl

**“No”**

He then brushed straight past her  
“Ok. Good. Because I had no intention of..”  
She could tell the Altmer was not interested in her attempts at further suggestive banter  
“I will be quite busy between now and the scheduled dinner at 6:00. Do not disturb me by then. I will come and find you if I require your assistance. Until then, Farewell”  
Vindalmo left the room and went off down the hall.

“He seems like a nice guy” Haxal remarked, trying to lighten the mood a little  
“I guess so.. He must be under a lot of pressure.. But at least we’re safe, Taz is getting looked after.. And we’ll be back in Quill-Weaves cozy home by tomorrow”  
She heard Haxal’s cot squeaking as he was pressing down on it, seeing just how stable it was  
“Hopefully, yeah. Can’t help but feel sorry for Taz though. Poor girl. Injured after having a tree thrown at her, then getting really bad nightmares” He remarked, sitting down in his cot.  
Mirian snickered  
“What about you? Your the one that gave her a shoulder-ride all the way here”  
Haxal brushed his shoulders  
“Don’t worry about me. She’s quite light.”  
“Yeah and she’s also a tough nut to crack. Believe me, that cat’s been through worse than just a fractured leg bone. She’ll live through it”  
“If you say so.. Still, I should’ve acted sooner. I just stood around while that Troll thrashed and threw stuff around.”  
Mirian placed her backpack and Taz’s crutches against the wall  
“Quit whining and get to making your bed. And I don’t want you whimpering about nightmares tonight ok?”  
Haxal smirked  
“Argonians don’t get nightmares”  
Mirian looked back at him with a cruel grin  
“Oh we’ll just see about that. I do recall a certain Lizard back in Morrowind who _pissed himself moist_ every time my name was brought up..”  
“What?” Haxal asked with a half-confused and half-terrified expression  
“Oh. Nothing. Just a tale for another time. Now make your bed”

**\-----Infirmary-----**

“Well.. To Khajiit, Kynareth is known as ‘Khenarthi.’ The ‘Mother Cat”  
“Oooh really? So is she seen as your peoples theoretical mother? Or is that just a title?” Avantia replied while bandaging up Taz’s leg with some proper medical wraps.  
Taz went to respond, but found she couldn’t come up with a proper answer  
“Uh.. I don’t know. I was never really that religious."  
Avantia grinned and finished up with the bandaging  
“It’s not my right to prod you further. I must say though, I’ve never worked on Khajiit before. Much less on a leg as.. Unique as yours” She remarked, looking over her handiwork on the digitigrade leg and paw-like feet  
“It’s fine. I don’t feel much pain anymore”  
Avantia stood up  
“That’s great to hear. By the grace of Kyna.. Hehe.. _By the grace of Khenarthi_ , your injuries shall pass soon. We need you back in the fight after all”  
She then paused and looked over the Khajiit as she lay in a makeshift bed.  
“Anywho, I must go and see Vindalmo. They have big plans for tomorrow, and I need to make sure I’m ready just in case anyone takes an arrow to the knee or some such mishaps.”  
She chuckled before going for the door  
“I’ll be back later. Don’t run off now” She said before leaving the room with Rumare

Taz snuggled into her bed.  
Apart from a low pain emitting from her leg, she was quite comfortable. Avantia is a very nice and pleasant person, and funnily enough, she feels genuinely safe in this Not-Bandit hideout.  
The potion that Avantia gave to Taz was starting to kick in however. She said that it was a type of ‘painkiller’ and would put you to sleep, while your body works with the healing draught to fix any injuries.

She started feeling sleepy.. Very.. sleepy..

With a swivel of her head over to the door, she caught the glimpse of a figure.. Clothed in a dark red robe..  
With a dagger hung in plain view on it’s hip.  
All light began to fade away, snuffed out by a ghostly chill.  
She went to scream in alarm, but found her words blank and bare as her head hit back onto the pillow, and she drifted off into a deep slumber.

**\------Anvil Embassy------**

“Well **FINALLY** I get some good fucking news around here for a change. I swear ever since I came here it's been nothing but headache after problem. Why can't humans just stay docile for a weekend?"  
The Ambassador sunk into his chair as he held a pen in one hand and observed the two Captains standing before his desk.  
“Yes.. Well. We believe to have found their hideout. If our Scumbag of an Agent at the _‘Crossroads Inn’_ is credible to any extent. Some old Alessian ruin off west of the Gold Coast Road a few klicks up. However we have no idea on how large of a force they possess exactly.”  
The Ambassador crossed one leg over the other in contemplation  
“They’re a bunch of rebels and brigands camped out in the countryside. They can’t pose much of a threat to a retaliation force” The Second Captain chimed in  
“You IDIOT! We could be sending those Mer to their deaths!” The other responded with a scowl  
“And if we try to further survey the area, the Rebels could get tipped off and flee the area. **WE MAY NEVER GET ANOTHER CHANCE LIKE THIS!”** The Second Captain rebutted 

**“ENOUGH BOTH OF YOU”** The Ambassador held up a hand

The two Captains stopped bickering and stood at attention  
“While I agree with both of your opinions. Maelon is correct. We may never get another opportunity to wipe out the Rebels once and for all. And here is how we shall carry it out..”  
The two captains leaned in closer as the Ambassador folded his hands on the desk  
“That wench of a Countess believes that her local militia are perfectly capable of protecting the city on their own. So we shall take our detachment, while leaving the more.. Troubled elements back here to _‘Keep the Order’_. I shall personally head the force, and with it I will bring the College Wizards to tag along.”  
“I thought they were only here to oversee transfers from the Imperial Colleges” One Captain remarked  
“And they shall fulfill that task. But, in the case these Rebels have a larger force than what they let on, a few practiced spell casters can make all the difference. And besides, it's not like they have anything better to do for the month they're spending here anyway.”  
The two Captains nodded in agreement  
“Gather your men. We leave at first sunrise. Travel the morning. With any luck, we can catch the Rebels unaware by noon.”  
The two Captains gave a salute  
“At ease and go forth. We shall remind these wastrels who own this Empire..”  
“Yes Battlereeve.”  
The two Captains then left the room

The Ambassador-Battlereeve stared at the closed doors soon after, before letting loose a sinister-sounding laugh  
He then got up and walked over to the large window overlooking the city and it’s bustling port  
“Soon I shall finally be rid of these upstarts. And perhaps I may yet return to Alinor in time for the New Life Festival..."  
He then peered out of the windows behind him, granting an unobstructed view into the city of Anvil proper.  
He released a groan  
As unlikely as that sounds though.. Humans always find a way to question the status quo...


End file.
